Merlyn
Character Analysis

Merlyn is an eccentric magician who serves as Wart's tutor throughout his childhood. Merlyn lives time backwards and thus already knows what is going to happen to Arthur. By turning Wart into different animals, Merlyn teaches him about violence, warfare and justice, and informs the King Arthur will become. Eventually, Merlyn meets and falls in love with the witch Nimue who locks him in a cave for thousands of years.

Merlyn Quotes in The Once and Future King

The The Once and Future King quotes below are all either spoken by Merlyn or refer to Merlyn. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Ace Books edition of The Once and Future King published in 1987.

Book 1, Chapter 3
Quotes

Now ordinary people are born forwards in Time, if you understand what I mean and nearly everything in the world goes forward too…But I unfortunately was born at the wrong end of time, and I have to live backwards from in front, while surrounded by a lot of people living forwards from behind. Some people call it having second sight.

I know all about your birth and parentage, and who gave you your real name. I know the sorrows before you, and the joys, and how there will never again be anybody who dares to call you by the friendly name of Wart. In future it will be your glorious doom to take up the burden and to enjoy the nobility of your proper title.

I will tell you something else, King, which may be a surprise for you. It will not happen for hundreds of years, but both of us are going to come back. Do you know what is going to be written on your tombstone? Hic jacet Arthurus Rex quondam Rexque futurus. Do you remember your latin? It means the once and future king.

Merlyn Character Timeline in The Once and Future King

The timeline below shows where the character Merlyn appears in The Once and Future King. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Book 1, Chapter 3

...approaches, the old man says, "Your name would be the Wart," and introduces himself as Merlyn(full context)

Merlyn invites Wart into his cottage, in which there is a breakfast set for two. The...
(full context)

After breakfast, Merlyn declares that it's high time they returned to Sir Ector. Wart is surprised, and then...
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Book 1, Chapter 4

Wart, Merlyn, Archimedes and Cully return to the Castle Sauvage. Hob, the caretaker of the hawks, takes...
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Wart declares that he has been successful on the quest for a tutor—he has found Merlyn, the great magician. Merlyn shows Sir Ector his references (including a tablet signed by Aristotle...
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...a quest all on his own. Kay, fired by jealousy, dismisses the quest. To which Merlyn responds suddenly and rudely: "Kay, thou was ever a proud and ill-tongued speaker, and a...
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Book 1, Chapter 5

...a child and he had been spurned by the other children ever since). One morning, Merlyn finds Wart with Dog Boy petting the hounds.
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"I think it's about time we began lessons," Merlyn announces. It is hot, and Wart wishes he could swim in the moat instead. "I...
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...a timid young roach (a type of fish) appears. He begins crying, and pleads with Merlyn to help his Mamma who has begun to swim upside down. The three find the...
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Book 1, Chapter 6

The boys are practicing their archery, while Merlyn sleeps off his lunch in the shade. Kay, as competitive as ever, is in a...
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Book 1, Chapter 7

It is nearing Autumn and Wart is lying in the shade with Merlyn while Kay has his tilting (jousting) lesson. Wart, sighing, thinks how nice it would be...
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Wart finds himself deep in the Forest Sauvage with Merlyn at his side. King Pellinore emerges out of the gloom, shortly followed by Sir Grummore...
(full context)

...succeed in ramming into trees. With the knights lying stunned and motionless on the ground, Merlyn and Wart return to the Castle Sauvage.
(full context)

Book 1, Chapter 8

Wart is moping in the castle. He goes to Merlyn in the hope of some education. Merlyn suggests that he try being a hawk and...
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...hooded, silent, and stately in the August moonlight in the Mews. A few moments after Merlyn had left Wart, there is a gentle ringing of a bell and the great peregrine...
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...while they ring the bell three times. Wart agrees (although he had been warned by Merlyn not to do just this) and proceeds to Cully's enclosure. While he stands near the...
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Book 1, Chapter 9

...a bleeding nose and Wart with a black eye. Kay begins to sob and whimpers, "Merlyn does everything for you, but he never does anything for me." Wart feels awful and...
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Merlyn lives in the tallest, most beautiful tower in the Castle Sauvage. Wart demands that Merlyn...
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Merlyn explains that sometimes you cannot understand why certain things happen, but there is usually a...
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Book 1, Chapter 12

...if he might take Wat home—the witless man who had also been held hostage—so that Merlyn can give him his wits back.
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...to bed by the nurse. When he wakes later that day, he rushes off to Merlyn and asks him what he had done with Wat. Merlyn responds that he has "pscyho-analysed...
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Book 1, Chapter 13

...is confined to his bedchamber for three days and howls miserably through the keyhole to Merlyn to be turned into something—even an ant! Merlyn, reluctantly, does so. The ant nest Wart...
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Book 1, Chapter 17

...off into the snow weeks ago, to be followed two hours later by King Pellinore. Merlyn, in his tower with Wart, asks him what he would like to be. Wart wants...
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Book 1, Chapter 21

The day for the ceremony draws near and Wart becomes sulky. Merlyn decides the best thing for Wart is to learn something and decides he should meet...
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...him if only the hedgehog stops singing. Wart discovers the hedgehog is the very one Merlyn had had as a pet when it was younger; he promises not to hurt him....
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Book 1, Chapter 22

At this moment, Wart comes in with Merlyn to hear they will be travelling to London and Wart will act as Kay's squire...
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Book 1, Chapter 24

...Sir Ector. When Wart lights it at the top end, as you are supposed to, Merlyn appears standing before him.
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Merlyn tells Wart that his father had been King Uther Pendragon. Merlyn, disguised as a beggar,...
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Book 2, Chapter 2

...men plough farmland and fish in the streams. "It was a splendid battle," Arthur comments. Merlyn looks only skeptical and says that they will all come again, the Kings of Orkney,...
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Arthur is unfazed by this prospect. Merlyn, Arthur notices, is upset and asks what he has done. Merlyn says merely that Arthur...
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Merlyn gives Arthur some advice about battles: Arthur should not say a battle was lovely, he...
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...Arthur wonders what would happen if he dropped a stone on one of their heads. Merlyn answers that it would kill the man it hit, "You are the King…Nobody can say...
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Book 2, Chapter 3

Kay, Arthur and Merlyn are riding back from hunting. Kay asks Merlyn about Queen Morgause and what the Gaelic...
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Merlyn begins: three thousand years ago, the country belonged to a Gaelic race; they were then...
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Merlyn ponders and says that if we think like that, there will never be an end...
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Book 2, Chapter 4

Merlyn explains how, when he was young, there was a general idea that it was wrong...
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Book 2, Chapter 6

...one can decide how to fight the second campaign against King Lot's slowly moving army. Merlyn presents himself in Court because Arthur has summoned a council of Sir Kay, Sir Ector...
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Arthur continues: why does Merlyn help him to fight battles if they are bad things? The only reason Arthur can...
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After Arthur has finished speaking, Merlyn stands up and stretches his hands to the ceiling.
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Book 2, Chapter 8

...Arthur barely leaves his own pavilion, and talks instead to Sir Kay, Sir Ector and Merlyn about his vision for the Order. Arthur decides the knights must sit at a round...
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...knights young before they are impressed by the old chivalry—for instance, the young child Lancelot. Merlyn then tells Arthur that King Leodegrance has a round table that will do and, seeing...
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Book 2, Chapter 10

In Bedegraine, it is the night before the battle. Merlyn is concerned that he has forgotten to tell Arthur something—they have spoken about the battle,...
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Arthur reflects on this and realizes that destiny is something you cannot elude. Merlyn decides to tell Arthur something else—that when he is dead, his tomb will say: Hic...
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Book 2, Chapter 14

...for King Pellinore. No trouble is spared—there are flowers, bells, and feasts. Meanwhile, far away Merlyn jumps up in bed—he suddenly remembers what he had forgotten to tell Arthur: his mother's...
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Book 3, Chapter 3

...in this story have a sort of genius or tutor in the family: Arthur had Merlyn, Gawaine and his brothers had Sir Toirdealbhach, while Lancelot has Gwenbors or Uncle Daps. Uncle...
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...an elderly gentleman with a white beard and a young woman with an olive complexion. Merlyn (the old man) announces to Lancelot that he will be the finest knight Arthur ever...
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Book 3, Chapter 5

...that Lancelot and Guenever are falling in love. Arthur had been warned of this by Merlyn, but had never truly paid attention to his warnings. Unsure what to do, Arthur decides...
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Book 3, Chapter 38

The next day, Nimue arrives at Camelot on behalf of Merlyn (who is locked in a cave) and clears up the whole Patrick accusation with her...
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Book 4, Chapter 14

...battles. The Round Table is now dispersed. He feels that he has failed the service Merlyn trained him for—to conquer Might with Right. He sees now that his whole reign has...
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Arthur sleeps and dreams of Merlyn. When he wakes he begins to remember: Lyo-Lyok and the birds migrating; the belligerent ants;...
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